Son of Artemis
by Sabrina5183
Summary: It has been 200 years since the Heroes of Olympus saved the Earth from Gaea. A plague has wiped out over 6 billion people, the forest have taken over and very few cities remain. But most importantly Artemis has had a son.
1. Prologue

**Starting things is always the hardest thing to do and well the chapter that came first before this is great and has a wonderful opening. I felt like what exactly happened to the world was never fully explained. So, I decided to write a prologue, then somehow it turned into a bunch of poems (Not really sure how that happened.) You do not have to read them, but I highly suggest you do.**

 **The Circle of The Gods**

It started after the war.

Slowly, like a fallen tear.

The mortals were left in the dark,

The darkness of devastation

It started with the gods might,

Earthquakes,

Storms,

Hurricanes

Draughts,

Famine Hunger Poverty.

Each passing year,

A million faded.

It wasn't enough.

The towers fell,

The bridges collapsed,

The forest prevailed

The disease came next.

It killed every man, woman, child.

That was not worthy.

The survival of the fittest.

The gods had a choice,

One that killed millions.

Billions.

They choose the Earth,

They choose themselves.

They grew in power, as the new vanished

And the old ways emerged.

It was the end for many,

But the beginning of old.

The beginning of my life.

 _ **Hero**_

I am many things,

A demigod,

A champion of Apollo and Hera,

The killer of Scylla,

Defeater of Tempestas,

Boy.

Some call me a hero,

But I'm no hero.

I have failed my mother from the moment I was born,

I have lived while others have died,

I could of saved many lost souls,

But I did not,

Just to save the one I loved.

I am no hero.

I am a boy.

 **Change**

I hated war.

I hated fights.

I hated killing.

Hunger stabbed,

And I killed.

I meet the world,

And I fought.

The war came,

And I disappeared.

 **History**

I was a deal.

A contract,

Black mail.

I should not exist.

The son of a maiden, who didn't break her oath.

A monster of nature,

A show of power,

And the spite of revenge.

The boy who was a failure,

The day I was born.

My mother allowed for me to live,

A simple thing, for my forever gratitude.

In return I got,

A scar upon my face,

And a bow of a hero.

My love unexpressed,

I left her.

I lived with Apollo,

A secret hidden in the shadows.

But shadows never stay long, when the sun shines bright.

She found me,

The one how bestow me upon my mother.

She trained me,

And I became a man of the Renaissance.

A fighter of the ages.

The Champion of the Queen.

After many trials they gave me their blessing,

Their strength,

Their speed,

His accuracy,

And her communication.

I could haunt dreams,

Hit a bullseye a mile away,

Out race the fastest halfblood,

Take on a minor god,

And come out on top.

I was to be the perfect Hero.

I am Boy.

I am Aiden.

And this is my story.

 **Thanks for reading and please review if you liked it!**

 ***Fun Fact: Einstein's theory about gravitational waves has been proven!***


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or places of the Percy Jackson series, those all belong to Rick Riordan.**

You know that chilling feeling you get on the back of your neck when you're walking on the side walk, alone, in the middle of the night? The feeling that someone's right behind you but no one really is. You try to trick yourself that it's just your imagination but there's always that one voice that says what if? I have that feeling right now but it's not dark out and I'm not alone. I'm in a crowded bus station in Greece with no suspicious characters in sight, no creepy man in a hoodie staring at me, just a bunch of fishers heading from the city back to their warm and cozy homes. Well I head further away from mine. I Ignored the feeling, and put in my headphones. I let the music wash over me and lull me into a daze, a dangerous spell for a demigod.

The sound of screaming snapped me out of my daze. I trained my ears and listened for the waves of horror through the muttering of people. It came again, it was to the left. I began to shove my way through the crowd and towards the sound.

I came upon a dark alley; voices muttered through the artificial night. I unsheathed one of my hunting knives from my belt. It had a dark wooden handle that fit perfectly in my hand, with a lotus flower carved right above where the blade started. The blade itself was something to stare at, it reflected the light. Which made it looked like a prism of royal blue, purple and rose was rippling through it. A dagger made of glass, that could kill a child's nightmare.

I approached the alley, the crunching of the dirt and gravel underneath my feet echoing through the empty space. As I got closer the mumbling intensified till I could make the words out, they were toxic utterances that would bring Hera's rage. I stuck close to the wall as I walked into the darkness to avoid the vile men. There were 3. One was bound in ropes as the other two removed his shirt. My stomach felt queasy at the sight and my vision focused on my target. The man closest to me had a sick look on his face, one of a greedy man that should be banished to Tartarus, never to step foot on earth again.

My fist made contact on the back of his head, pain ran up my hand and into my shoulder as the satisfaction and adrenaline overwhelmed it. I knocked the man out cold. He hit the ground, dust and flew up from his body. The other man turned to me with lust in his eyes. A cold smile formed on his face. I could tell that he thought that this would be an easy fight, a 14 year old boy that barely reaches 5'6 and was very slight. He didn't notice the way my arms were packed with muscles or that I could knock out a mortal man with one punch or that my small figure made me impossibly quick and agile.

The man rushed forward. I darted out of his path as I landed a punch on his stomach. He leaned forward and gasped for breath. I put him in a headlock. I could feel the beat of his heart, it was so fragile, so easy to diminished. I could hear the way his breath hitched and the bead of sweat that trickled down his face.

"Please don't kill me." He pleaded.

A loud screech echoed through the alley, sounding like the furies war cry. My hunting knife casted a watery light over the man's face. I removed my hand and put the knife to his neck instead. A little whimper came from his mouth, he tried to plead for his life, "Ple-"

But the crackle of a bowl horn interrupted him, "Now loading bus 476 to Kalivia Varikou. It will be leaving in five minutes."

"Di immortals." I swore under my breath. The man was shivered from fear as the damsel watched with wide eyes.

"Leave. Never, return." I said as I removed my knife from my neck. He stumbled forward before he took off like a squirrel. He took his friend by the collar of his coat and dragged him towards the end of the alley. The man turned in fright as the clear knife nicked the edge of his ear. Blood bubbled to the surface.

"You are never to harm anyone again. And if you do. I will find you. And gut you like a fish. Then personally throw you into Tartarus. Do you, understand?"

The man nodded before running away with his tail between his legs.

"Sorry bout that." He said as he turned to the captured male.

"Bus 476 to Kalivia Varikou is now departing." Said the voice over the microphone.

I cut the rope that tied his hand and feet together before removing the sock in his mouth.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

He nodded his head but said nothing. My head was against the wall as we sat in silence.

"Are you injured at all?" I asked.

He still said nothing, but he shook his head no. I stayed there next to him and tried to come up with a plan to get to Long Island.

" _They, they_ took my wallet. I don't have any money to get home." He said weakly.

Damn. I should of thought that through a little more. I reached into my coat pocket the man's eyes followed my every move. The wool itched my hand as I came upon the smooth leather of my wallet. The man's eyes widen as I pulled it out and grabbed the only hundred venenum I had in it.

"Here you go."

The man looked so surprised that he just sat there.

"Go on, take it." I said as I shoved my hand in his direction.

He shook his head no and backed away from the money.

"Go on, take it. You have to get home." I said.

He took the money with a mumbled thank you. He left the alley without looking back.

The pounding sound of a metal lid crashed through the alley, as I searched through the garbage can for cardboard. It took three cans, but I finally found one that would suit my needs. I grabbed the black marker, I always had on me and left the alley.

I had set up a little stand just outside the train station, it showed all the artwork I could scavenge from my sketch pad, that was decent enough to sell. It was a pitiful attempt, I know. But it was the quickest way to get money and besides that my heart couldn't handle borrowing any more money from Apollo.

I don't like the city. The tall buildings were too unnatural, too large. Their stainless steel were as reflective as a calm pound yet they are not ponds. The sounds of people rushing about were too … different, too foreign. It made me feel small, insignificant and trapped. Yes, most definitely trapped. I felt my heart beat faster, my palms start to sweat as panic over rode all my senses. I was trapped. I was never going to be able to leave. My breaths became short. I was attracting attention.

My mind was clouded, thinking to fast. Through the daze came a grumbly old voice, "You are quite a skilled artist, young man." The man sounded nice, supportive even. My vision started to clear as I stared at the man in front of me.

He was old but had the third most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. They were a dark gold but it was like you were seeing your entire lifein them, the past, present, future, the pain and grief, happiness and sadness. He knew it all and if I could unlock his secrets, I would know it too. He wore a white spacesuit like he had just came from the moon or maybe the sun. His skin sagged and was aged with spots. He looked ancient and had an air of power that made you want to bow down and submit.

"Thank you sir. Would you like to by one?" I asked, once the panic had completely left me.

"Oh, no. I don't have any money but I do quite like this one." He pointed at a small sketch I did a year ago. It was of an hourglass. But instead of sand it was people who were trying to claw their way back up, trying to go against time. "Would you be willing to trade?"

"Maybe, depends on what it is." I shrugged, I didn't mind a trade. Some of the best things come out of trades.

"How about." He paused like he had a person whispering in his ear, "A walk around the forest with me? It has been awhile since I have talked to anyone." He finished.

I looked into the old man's eyes again. This time instead of seeing my future, I saw bone crushing loneliness. For a second I felt everyone I loved being slowly pulled away from me, their memories, and their love till nothing was left. Till I couldn't remember remember my mom's anger or the Apollo's laugh. I was alone. Never to see anyone ever again, just left alone in agony. I wanted to fade. I wanted to die. But I couldn't, all of reality was left on my shoulders, weighing me down more than the sky, like time itself had been placed on my shoulders. Then there was a flash of hope, a soft chuckle that would make the gods bow. It lasted only a second before I was thrusted back, to the heart of Tartarus to be forever alone.

I felt a tear slip out of my eye waking me from the grip of loneliness. I knew I could sell the drawing, it was one of my better ones, for at least enough to get me out of the city. There I could live in the wild for awhile before I head to camp. It would be easy to say no, and if I did I could live happier quicker. But I knew my answer before I even saw the vision, before he even finished his sentence. "Sure, let me just pack my stuff up." I said as I shoved my sketches into my backpack, handing the hourglass one to him.

He took it with a gleeful smile. I felt my bones warm at this man's happiness over such a simple object. He took my hand as he bounded across the busy intersection. With the mere chance of luck we didn't get hit. Once we hit the tree line, I felt my muscles relax and head clear. I felt my heart pick up, but not from panic, just plain elastically. He lead me through the park with such expertise it made me wonder if he had travelled this path often. With a couple more turns through the green maze, we came upon a pond, a mirror for the sky. The man brought me to the shore. I took off my hunting boots and put my toes in the water. It was cold, like a deep breath of fresh air on a winter day.

We sat in silence, as we listened to the bird chirp and animals sing. It was peaceful. "It's going to rain." The the old man finally spoke.

It was a weird observation the clouds were white and fluffy nothing you would expect rain out of. But my instinct told me he was right,"How do you know?"

"I know a lot of things, Boy." He said with a sad look on his face like he saw his own death.

Her voice echoed through my mind. It was filled with so much hate, so much loathing. I cringed at the memories, I had failed her from the day I was born. No matter what I do, it will do nothing to change the fact that I was a failure. I had failed her. I have failed the woman who gave birth to me. I have failed my mother.

"A son of Artemis and Hera, the immortal 'demigod'," He laughed, "never in a million years would I have guessed that."

A moment of confusion passed over me. If he knew so much than he should know that I'm only the son of Artemis and not Hera, and I'm completely one hundred percent mortal. But maybe, just maybe he meant that since Hera had blessed me that she was somehow my mother and he could of meant my soul is immortal. Yes, that's what he meant.

"Of course you don't know that yet and you might never. I highly doubt anyone else would be able to figure it out either. So I guess by you Earthlings standards, you are just a regular old half god, half human son of Artemis with a very dark path ahead of you, that only time will reveal. Which reminds me you have a couple demigods to save. Good luck." He then vanished into thin air before I was even able to ask him for his name.

I felt a chill run down my back. Then another. My mind started to fog as blackness invaded my vision, leaving me alone in the world of darkness,

I woke up and immediately drew my bow, prepared to attack. If there was something there and people to save I had to be ready. But I saw nothing dangerous besides a dragon collided around a pine tree with a golden fleece, but it looked more interested in sleeping than attacking suddenly appearing demigods. Other than that a normal person or even demigod would assume it was a normal hill in the middle of nowhere. But I knew better, just over the crest of the hill was camp halfblood. The place where I'll be spending the next couple of years. I sat down on the grass and waited for the demigods, just as the first drops of rain started to fall.

The rain poured all around me. Little streams of water flowed down the hill like tear drops. I felt a small tingle in my back, a little itch that said, _Something's coming_. I started to search blindly through the rain, my instincts were my only guide. I felt something crunch underneath my foot. I opened my eyes and looked down. I had stepped on a person's finger.

He was tall, maybe 5'11, dirt covered every inch of his body. I leaned down and moved his black hair away from his forehead. A large bump prodded from his forehead. It was covered in blood . His hair was also matted with blood and strikes which made him look like a male nymph of a burning bush. I position him on my shoulders and stood up. The way up the hill was hard; I slip every couple feet which threaten my balance and could cause us both to be tumbling down the hill. I reached the crest out of breath and sweaty. I gently set down the stranger I carried, in the warm sunlight. It warmed my bones. Without a glance of the valley below, I headed out into the bone chilling rain to find the other demigod.

The rain came down hard. It soaked its way through my skin and into my bones, the icy water rushed inside my body, threatening to shut it down. But I trudged on in determination. I didn't see the person till I was right on her. She was small, much smaller than the other dude. She had dark hair and skin so pale, I had to check whether she was breathing. The smell of wet fur invaded my nose as I stood protectively in front of the girl.

My senses were on high alert. I felt the itch of my old wool coat tickle my arm. The rain pounding on my breakable tension that hung limply in the air. I could smell rotting meat. I heard the shallow breath of the dead girl behind, steps that pounded on the ground. The ground shook. Dirt spilt. My legs shook and wobbled.

The beast let out a mighty roar, before I could see it. The sound rippled through the rain as I blinked the water out of my eyes and prepared to fight. The club came first. It shook my knife and numbed my arm. Another strike, another numb arm. I took a step forward, my foot sunk into the muddy ground. I loud sunk sounded as I removed it. I saw the outline of the beast. It was a seven feet tall human, with disfigured features. He struck again. I felt nothing but the fabric of life being torn as I sunk my knife halt deep in the monster's cold heart. With one last howl it disappeared in a burst of golden dust.

I turned. I was met with wet grass and my muddy footprints.

Shit.

My heart pumped. I sprinted back to the girl. Another monster floated above her. It had a wicked grin on its face as it brought its knife out. He raised it to the sky. The knife gleamed, it lighten its path, through the sky. Every inch it went you could hear the girl's heart beat, _thump, thump, thump_. I felt nothing but air streaming across my face. My eyes watered, my mouth dried. The thud of my landing shook my bones. I heard the gasp of surprise. He couldn't move his knife. Its path had already been set. A blinding pain rushed through my back. The wind made my scream raspy as a blade sunk through my armor and skin. Needles, thousands of them, driven in every fiber, muscle, bone. A burning sensation, warmed my cold bones to melting point. The blade was sticky. The pain blinded me as the blade slowly emerged from my back. I reached into my pocket and shoved a bar of ambrosia in my mouth. I slowly got up. Red dots danced in my vision, they blinded me. There was ringing in my ears that made me deaf.

A hard blow to my armor knocked the wind out of me. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see and I couldn't hear. I took a step back. The bumpy ground of a person's hand met my foot. I remembered the girl. I felt the buzz of adrenaline. My vision cleared.

The monster in front of me was dark, the same color as the sky. Its whip crackled. The air swished. Pain exploded through my arm. I was too slow, too weak. It drew back the whip again, a target on my chest. It was met with the cold rain and the domain of Zeus.

 _You will never win. If you destroy me more will come. You will never get out alive and anyone who tries to stop you will be killed too. Your little camp shall bow to my master._ It voice pounded through my head and sent fury through my bones. I lunged forward. He brought his whip back. The crackle of metal on metal filled my ears, over and over again. My vision slowly faded back to black. I felt my senses dull and my arms turn to jelly. I threw my knife in a last attempt, I prayed to the Fates in hopes that they could save the girl. I stumbled back over to her. My knees went weak, the wind screamed. Then everything went black

 **Thank you all for reading, please review, follow and/or favorite if you liked it.**


	3. Chapter 3

My eyes snapped open and I looked around in panic. I sat up quickly which caused an achy pain in my head. I was in a room that was awfully sunny and bright. A curtain surrounded my bed. IVs were strapped to my arm, I knew better than to pull them out. I took a deep breath and waited for the doctor to come check on me. I sat in silence for a hour before I started to worry. What if I lead them to a death trap? What if she got taken by that monster?

My palms started to get sweaty and my face flushed. I ripped the Ivs out of my arm and scooted to the edge of my bed. I stood up too quickly. A wave of nausea hit me so hard I almost passed out. I heard voices on the other side of the room. I pulled back the curtain. I was met with the sight of a boy, that was about 17 and over 6 feet tall. I felt like a trapped animal, I wanted to run out to the woods and never turn back, live among the wild animals.

"Good you're awake. Can you sit down on the bed for me." He asked politely but I heard the undertone to it. If i didn't sit down myself he would force me.

"Where are the boy and the girl." I asked, my voice came out raspy like I haven't spoken in weeks.

"They are safe." He said well he handed me water. I took a sip, the water refreshed my dry throat. I sat down on the bed and kicked my feet as the boy searched through the cabinet.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Gabe." He said as he stood up with a pair of scissors in his hand. I watched him carefully as he started to cut the bandages off of my shoulder.

"Nice to meet you Gabe. I'm Aiden." I said offering my hand to shake, he took before returning to tend to my wounds.

"You're very lucky. That knife was poisoned, if you were out there for a couple more minutes you would of died." He grunted.

Gabe started to say something but a girl pulled back the curtains and started to shout.

"I'm going to kill him! Where is he?!"

My eyes widened, my palms started to sweat and my heart beat increased. I felt like a fish out of water looking at this beautiful creature. She had a soft heart face with high cheek bones. Plush, soft lips that I would love to feel against mine. She had heavenly skin that was a dark olive skin, that Athena most of blessed herself. She had evergreen eyes that would inspire Pan. Her hair was a bright blue that was pulled back into a ponytail, with little pieces framing her beautiful face. She seemed so familiar like I had met her before, perhaps in a dream.

"Calm down, Cassy." Said Gabe as he tried to mask his smile. Cassy, what a beautiful name.

"I will not calm down! Look what he did to my hair!" She shouted and pointed to her bright blue locks. Gabe lost it, his musical chuckles filled the room just like Apollo's. That's when it clicked for me, he had the golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He worked in the infirmary. "Come on Cassy it was just a joke and why would he be in here in the first place?" He chuckled.

Cassy stopped fuming for a second, to think and take in her surroundings. That's when she noticed me for the first time. Her eyes went to my shirtless stomach, which was in rows of six, first than to my eyes. A shiver went down my back, they were more beautiful than I first imagined."

"Gabe, is he the one that saved Alex and Atalanta?" She asked her eyes never left mine.

"Yeah, he is. I should go get them they would probably like to meet the person that saved their live." He said, before he left the room.

"I'm Cassy by the way, daughter of Demeter. Do I know you from somewhere?" She asked.

I felt a nagging sensation in my stomach, I knew her and I remembered the day it was the best and worst day of my life.

 _Go fetch my arrow, Boy." Her voice cried._

" _But they're still shooting, my Lady?" I asked._

" _Are you afraid?" The beautiful auburn with silver eyes and a silver hunting outfit asked coldly. The other hunters who were all girls ranging for the age 8 to 16 stopped their archery to watch me get yelled at, like it wasn't an everyday occurrence._

" _No of course not, my Lady." I said, I was no older than 5 at the time._

" _Is your sorry excuse of a species to dull-witted to even perform a simple task?" She asked with a menacing voice._

" _Of course not my Lady." I said before scurrying off towards the target. My mother's face twisted to a look of fury as she grabbed the string of her powerful silver bow and aimed at the my head. The rest of the hunters gasped in disbelief as she let the arrow fly. I was oblivious to what was going on pulled an arrow out of the bullseye of the target as the arrow approached me at a rapid speed. The arrow was true and meant to kill, I turned seemly in slow motion and started death right in the face with open eyes. The arrow was a millimeter away from my face when the wind took it away_

 _My mom put her bow down in disappointment knowing full while that fate would not let her remove the dagger in her soul. "You are wrong, your species is the most idiotic, dull-witted thing that has ever haunted this planet!" She shouted as she grabbed her silver hunting knife and slashed the my face before stomping away with her band of followers like a little kid that didn't get their way._

 _I went to his little first aid kit in his back back and fixed my wound._

 _Once I was done with my daily tasks, I headed out into the old forest to go hunting for my meal. In the forest I always felt safe, the sound of animals relaxed me as I headed deeper in the woods. Once I could no longer hear the chattering of the girls I pressed my little golden sun necklace and a simple wooden bow appeared in his hands. It was a gift from my uncle, Apollo, who I had yet to meet. My footsteps silent on the muddy brown as I weaved through the trees with the grace of a hunter much older than myself._

 _The green foliage of the plants had little droplets that glistened in the sun making the forest look like a diamond. I looked thoughtfully at the ground as I searched for the prints of animals, while my sensitive ears were looking out for the rustle of a squirrel dashing through the thick canopy. But I did not expect what I came up, instead of an animal foot print I noticed a small human footprint being followed by a large paw print. I noticed that the person was running. Touching the prints, I saw the path that the person and beast had took and ran after them._

 _Hearing cries, I stopped and hid behind a large oak tree. Behind the tree I saw a little girl the same age of me, cowering against a tree, as a midnight black hound approached her. Her hair was matted with sticks and dirt so much so that you couldn't tell the color of it. The hounds paw raised, the muscle tensing as it got ready for its killing strike. Sensing that if I didn't act soon the girl would be dead, I raised my bow and took aim, right at the monster's heart. Pulling the string back to his face like he did a million times before, he took a quick breath before letting it go. The arrow whistled through the air as it approached the beast. With a thunk it sank into the coarse black hair of the beast before embiding itself into the veiny fat of the dog. It landed an inch to high but got the beast attention. As it turned its menacing blood red eyes on me, it's yellow tinged teeth snarling as it launched itself at me who had taken aim once again. He released the arrow, as the beast charged causing the ground to vibrate from its sheer power. The arrow landed right in its skull causing the beast to tumble and fell before turning into dust._

" _What was that?" Asked the girl in disbelief._

" _That was a hellhound." I said in a low voice as if I was talking to a young doe._

" _Are you alright?"_

" _No.." Sniffled the girl._

" _Here let me help you." I said as I approached her slowly. The girl shied away from me._

" _Dont worry, I am not going to hurt you."_

" _Are you a monster?" She asked weakly._

" _No, I'm not a monster. But that thing that I just killed was."_

" _Are you a god than? You have the aura of a god."_

 _I chuckled softly, I answered, "No, I'm not a god. Only a demigod."_

" _Whats a demigod?" All of her old fear being replaced with curiosity._

" _Let me clean up this wound first. Than I'll tell you." I bent down next to the girl, my silver eyes surveyed the wound. It was quite large, about four inches long and an inch wide. It was also about an inch deep. I winced before I reached down into my little first aid kit. I applied pressure to stop the wound from bleeding, I grabbed my flask full of water and cleaned my hands then washed the dirt off her wound._

" _This going to hurt." I mumbled before I poured alcohol on the wound. The girls face twisted in pain before she let out a pain filled shriek, which caused birds to fly from their nest in the tall trees._

 _I winced, then went back to clean and bandage her wound. "I'm going to take you to Lady Artemis. She will fix you up better and offer you a place in the hunt or guide you to the camp."_

" _The goddess?" She asked wincing from the pain in her stomach._

" _She'll explain, everything don't worry." I said as I helped her stand._

 _Once she was up on her feet she leaned heavily on the boy as they walked back to the camp._

 _I approached the camp, the wolves nipped excitedly at the boys heels, in hopes for a spare bit of meat. I looked to the largest wolf and spoke,"Go get Lady Artemis."_

 _It nodded it's head before sprinting off._

" _Wolves, I must be going crazy." Muttered the girl before she passed out and fell to the ground, bringing me with her._

" _Help, someone help." I shouted as I crawled out from underneath the fallen maiden. A hunter with pretty brown hair and olive colored skin came running through wolves to see who had called for help. She saw the injured girl and me, the unwanted boy. She shouted "What did you do?!" As she picked up the little girl and raised her hand to slap me._

" _I didn't do anything, I swear. I found her in the woods as I was hunting and I couldn't just leave her." I pleaded as I shrunk to the ground prepared for the impact of the slap of a huntress. But it never came, when the I opened my eyes he saw the girl glaring at him before she picked up the girl and brought her to Artemis. But Artemis beat her to it as the auburn haired goddess came sprinting from the camp with the wolf I sent earlier was trailing behind._

" _Hand her here, Gracie." Spoke the goddess as Gracie handed the young girl over. Removing the bandages that I had placed on her, she mumbled "This is much worse than I expected"_

 _The sun had just began to set and I was laying with the wolves. When I heard footsteps approached, I didn't even bother to turn his head, I figured it was just a huntress coming to feed the wolves._

" _You know it is improper to not bow in a goddess presence." Cames the voice of my mother washed in guilt._

" _I'm sorry my Lady, but a believe that laying down is a greater sign of submission." I said in a calm voice as I stared up at the dark blue and bright orange sky. Well my mother stared at the setting sun._

" _In other words you're just too lazy to get up." She said with a hint of humor in her voice. We sat there in silence. Though my mind was buzzing. Was the girl alright? Why was my mother talking to me? Did I do something to appease her so she decided to treat me with affection?_

" _I'm sorry." She said with a silent plea in her voice as a single tear fell from her eye._

 _I remember looking into her eyes and seeing all the guilt from the past years in her eyes. Truth was I forgave her many years ago. I didn't care that she was not the best mom or she would sometimes harm me. I mean after what all those males done to her and her huntress, how could I blame her for hating my species?_

" _I already forgave you." I told her._

 _Artemis smiled out of relief before she reached out and stroked my cheek. She channeled part of her energy as mine and hers glow brighten in the setting sun. Slowly the pain in my cheek lessen till i could no longer feel it._

" _I'm sorry my son, but I have to send you away. My brother Apollo is on his way to pick you and Cassandra up, he'll drop you both off at Camp Half-Blood. I'm afraid that you will have to stay at Hermes Cabin for a little. I made a deal long ago." She looked into my silver eyes one last time before she left. In her wake stood the girl I had saved in the forest._

 _She looked at the wolves nervously._

" _Don't worry they won't hurt you when I'm around." I said._

 _The girl nervously approached me and sat beside me. She must've taken a shower because her once matted and muddy hair was now a wavy brown color which made her evergreen eyes stand out even more from her dark olive skin. I felt himself blush from being so close to a beautiful girl._

" _What's your name?" She asked, her voice was so beautiful to me, I thought that the birds would sing her words._

" _Boy." I answered._

" _Boy, weird name. Mines Cassandra, but you can call me Cassy." She introduced. We talked till the last light disappeared. In the dark there was a bright gold flash that silenced us. There stood a man with sky blue eyes, golden curly hair and bright smile._

 _The man introduced himself as Apollo and flashed Cassy to Camp Half-Blood and both me and him to his temple on Olympus. There he healed all the scrapes, bruises and scars on me but once he got to the scar on my face. I told him to stop, I wanted to keep it. I remembered Apollo asking why, and me responding because I want to remember the kindness my mother showed._

"I'm Aiden and I don't think we've met. I would've remembered if I might someone as beautiful as you." I felt heat flood to my cheeks as I blushed.

She smiled, her cheeks a cute pink color hiding her freckles. "Thank you." She smiled.

"You're at camp Half-Blood by the way. One of the safest places for half mortals and half Greek gods like ourselves."

I should've feigned shock but I didn't. Instead we just sat there for several minute in silence. before I got up the courage to ask this beautiful creature how long I was out for, "How long was I out for?"

"2 days." She answered. I groaned, I hated being out for so long.

She laughed hesitantly, "I take it this isn't your first time being knocked out for a long time."

"No, one time I was knocked out for almost 2 weeks." I blurted out, there goes hiding my past.

"2 weeks! What did you do?" She asked in disbelief.

"Well I might of tried taking on a full sized drakon when I was 8. I did manage to kill it though."

"Why on Earth would you take on a full size drakon?!" She shouted.

"It was hurting people." I offered weakly, I left out the part about how my guardian asked me too.

She shook her head, "You got to tell me the full story."

I smiled at her and was about to start when the curtain was pulled back again. Cassy drew her sword and lunged at one of the people. He has brown hair, hazel eyes that gleamed with mischief, upturned eyebrows, which made him look like a trouble maker. He was wearing an orange t-shirt that read camp half blood. In fact everyone wore an orange camp half blood shirt.

"How dare you dye my hair blue!" She shouted while she swung her sword dangerously close to his face. The other campers just stared at them like this was an everyday occurrence. It took me a minute to realise that these two were the ones I saved. The girl no longer looked dead, instead she had a healthy tan and her blue eyes shined with power. The boy no longer had a bump on his forehead and his hair was not matted with blood anymore. He had a pink aura around him though that made him seem powerful but in a different way than the girl. He had blonde hair and eyes that couldn't decide on what color they should be.

"I'm so _very_ sorry." The boy that Cassy attacked said.

"Oh, please you're not sorry, you're never sorry." He smiled a big smile before he headed to my bedside table and picked up both of my hunting knifes.

"These are really shiny." He said and put them down. he then looked me over, his eyes lingered on the scar on my face.

"I'm Jayden by the way. Best thief and prankster at this camp." He said with a proud grin on his face. I smiled back.

"That would not be something I would brag about." Said Gabe before he excused himself to check on another patient.

"He's been so sad since he and his girlfriend broke up." Said the blonde as he looked wistfully at Gabe, "I'm Alex by the way."

"I'm Atlanta." Said the girl while she analyzed every part of me, her eyes also lingered on my scar.

"I'm Aiden. And don't even think about stealing my knives Jayden." I said as I turned to face him. He had my knives in hand and had his backpack unzipped.

"How did you noticed?" He asked well he gave me my knives.

"I have my ways." I said with a shrug.

"If you don't mind me interrupting this little future bromance, what happened on the hill?" Asked Alex.

I took a deep breath before I explained everything to them. They all looked surprised when I described the second beast and Atlanta rushed forward to hug me when I told her that I took the knife for her.

"Why would you do that?!" She asked.

"Better to be dead than live in guilt that I could of saved someone but didn't." I shrugged.

"Well now that story times over, how about a tour of camp?" Said Jayden, once I was done, with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Someone needs to find Beth though and tell her about the beast, she might know more about it." Said Cassy.

"I'll do it," Said Atlanta. Jayden looked upset that he wasn't the one but his smile returned soon after.

"Come on I'll show you all round." Said Cassy well she took my arm and pulled me off the bed.

"I'll join too." Said Jayden, Cassy sent him a glare but he just winked at her. I felt a ping of jealousy.

"I'll come too, minus well inform you about the camp gossip." Said Alex with a devious grin. We all headed out of the infirmary and into the hall.

"Don't I need a shirt?" I asked as I looked down at my bare chest, besides my two little necklaces, one of the sun the other of the moon.

"Na, you're good without one." Said Jayden as he dragged me out of the house before the others could protest.

 **Wow, that flashback was the first draft I wrote for this story, the memories and the awful war. Ugh, the ending would've been so good if the story started out with that flashback. But anyways I'm just reminiscing, and I hoped you all enjoyed, and pretty please with a cherry on top review.**

 ***Fun fact (Well not really fun unless you're a child of Hades)- Mary Tudor, also known as Bloody Mary, burned over 200 protestants at the stake. Also her father Henry the Eighth had 6th wives.***


	4. Chapter 4

***Unedited***

Jayden finally stopped at an archery range. It reminded me of the one the Hunters would set up at their camp. Rows of bullseyes with red glaring targets. I felt my necklace itch, it wanted to be released and have me show everyone what I could do. Arrows flew, some missed, some hit but none hit the bullseye. Jayden swaggered over to a man, wait no not a man, a centaur.

"Hey Chiron, this is Aiden." He said to the centaur, Chiron.

"Hello Jayden. Aiden" He nodded, "Please tell me that Gabe released him before you took him here and why didn't you get him a shirt?" Chiron asked, not in a mean tone but more tiredly like he was used to campers shenanigans.

"Yep," Said Jayden, as he took out a diamond necklace. He played with the little diamond in his hand. Chiron glanced nervously down at it before up to me with a small smile.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Aiden. If you don't mind telling me but what happen on the hill?" He asked with a soft smile.

I told him about what happen on the hill and right before I got to camp, minus the old man and weirdly transporting here. Chiron was a good listener he didn't interrupt just nodded encouragingly. At the end he didn't say anything just looked down at the two knives that shined in the bright noon sun. He then glanced over to a young girl, she was adorably cute, with big brown eyes and blonde hair. She pulled the arrow back and took aim at the target. Her stance was wrong and the way she held the bow, I knew the bow would snap and cut her arm. Her arm was already scratched from failed attempts. Chiron looked at her grimly. I walked over to her. She released the arrow with a yelp of pain as the string cut her arm.

"I'm never going to be good at archery." She mumbled in defeat.

"You will be you just have to practice." I said. She was startled at my voice and looked at me wide eyed.

"No, I'll never be good. I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, we're not good at archery or fighting." She said with a cute little pout.

"Try telling that to Cupid." I laughed.

She thought over what I said for a second before she picked her bow back up and notched an arrow.

"Try moving your feet like this," I said while I adjusted my own feet. "Move your hand like this," I moved her arm down a little, "Or get an arm guard if it feels unnatural." She pulled the arrow back, and took her aim. The arrow was a centimeter from hitting the board but flew soundless over instead.

"I told you so." She said.

I shook my head, "Just keep trying and eventually you'll get."

I turned to see Chiron watching me with great curiosity. "Have you trained in archery before?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Do you mind?" He asked as he ushered towards the targets before he handed me his bow. I nodded my head and pressed my silver moon necklace. The chain transformed into a simple string well the charm turned into an old wooden bow. It instantly strung itself. I pulled back the string, my gaze locked with the red eye. I heard Chiron gasp, I saw Jayden's questioning look and the other campers as they watched me, but they were nothing but background to my real opponent. The arrow flew with a thing, I launched another, than another. The first hit the bullseye, the other two spilt each other.

Chiron cleared his throat, to keep me from my next launch. I sighed in disappointment and lowered my bow. My sense unfocused so I could no longer hear every breath, every movement and every heart beat of the people around me.

"Hey, that's my necklace!" Shouted one girl, who stormed towards Jayden. Jayden looked down at the glittery object before he ran the opposite direction. He turned to shout something back but ran right into Cassy.

"Hey, Jayden. Where you going?" She asked with a devious smile as the grass started to grew around his legs, holding him in place. "He's all yours." The other girl looked at Jayden with a evil glint in her eye as she pulled out a lipstick tube. Cassy jogged over to us with Alex trailing behind her and handed me a orange t-shirt that read camp halfblood on it.

"You might want to put on a shirt before you attracted to much female attention." She blushed before she ushered to a group of giggling girls, that had just saw him show off. "Cool bow."

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Yes, it is a very interesting bow." Said Chiron as he stroked his brown beard, "Do you mind if I look at it?"

I handed the boy over to Chiron, who looked over it thoughtfully. He analyzed the string and the wood. "Where did you get this?" He asked with a curious glint in his eye.

"My mother gave it to me before I left." It was the truth my mother had given it to me.

"Was your mother mortal?" He asked still looking over the bow.

"Yes." I lied quickly, it's best that no one knows who my real mother is yet.

"Very particular," He handed it back to me, "I have only seen one bow like that."

"You've seen it before?" Questioned Alex.

"Yes, a very long time ago, in the hands of Odysseus."

I was shocked. Beyond shock, speechless. My mother gave me Odysseus' bow. But why? Was it because she really loved me? I gleeful grin made its way to my face, my mother really did love me!

"Wait. You mean the real Odysseus. Like the one that blinded the cyclops and came up with the trojan horse!" Shouted Jayden from his place in the grass.

"Yes, that Odysseus." Said Chiron, "I'm curious how your mother was able to get a hold of such a powerful bow. Are you sure your mother was mortal?"

I was for sure, sure that my mom was a 100% not mortal, "Yes."

"I got to show Beth this she's going to freak out!" Shouted Jayden. He tried to move but the grass didn't budge. "Hey, Cassy can you free me?"

"I can. But I'm not sure if I want to." She smirked as she walked pass him.

"You coming?" She said back to us.

"Na, I'll stay here with my bunkmates." Said Alex.

"Come on then, Aiden." She said with a devious grin.

I gave Jayden an apologetic look as I past by him, and caught up to Cassy.

"Shouldn't you let him go?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

We came upon a grey cabin that had an owl carved above the doorway.

"Athena's cabin." Said Beth as she pushed the door open and entered the cabin. Jayden followed behind her with a wink, Cassy ended up releasing him.

The inside of the cabin looked like a workshop and library had a baby. The beds of the cabin were pressed against the wall like sleeping was a second thought. There were floor to ceiling book shelves, that opened up to a bunch of desk and a wicked hologram system. That I didn't even think existed. Around one of the holograms were two girls and Atlanta. One had dark skin and a shaved head that had patterns running through it like the labyrinth. She was tall, lean and had a threatening atmosphere around her. She was wearing armor on top of her camp shirt and a pair of military pants. She also had a knife strapped to her belt and a spear on her back.

The other girl was slightly shorter but was still a good two inches taller than me. She had straight blonde hair and tan skin. She looked very athletic. She was wearing the camp shirt with a pair of running shorts and had a sword around her waist.

"Hey." Said Cassy.

"Hey, Cassy." Mumbled the dark skinned girl without turning around.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked curiously glancing over her shoulder.

"Planning for the capture the flag game." Said the blonde in a annoyed tone.

"What's capture the flag?" I asked. I heard the hunters talk about it every once in awhile but I never actually knew what it was.

The blonde turned to face us. She had a critical look in her eye and turned off the hologram. The other two girls then turned to face us. The blondes eyes skimmed over Jayden with a disgusted look and then they turned to me. Her eyes were a startling grey, they showed that she was thinking a million things at once. She looked me over closely, analyzing every inch of me. Looking for all the secrets and all of my past. I put my hands out with a cocked up eyebrow, I had nothing she could figure out.

"Interesting knives." She said once her eyes came upon my weapons. "Where did you get them?" She asked while the others watched in interstent like I was a criminal and she was my interrogator.

"Found this one buried in the woods," I pointed at the glass one, "And this one was a gift from my father." I pointed to the bronze one.

"How did you find it in the woods?" She asked. She was trying to connect the dots.

"Don't know. I was just walking through the woods one day and it was there. I assumed it was left there from someone fleeing the city." She looked me over critically one last time before she turned to Cassy.

"Is the Demeter cabin ally themselves with us?"

"Yes." The room was awkwardly silent as the blonde continued to glare daggers at me.

"I'm Aiden, by the way." I stuck my hand out for her to shake. She glanced down at it and sneered. "Beth, daughter of Athena. I take it he's unclaimed." I smiled at her before I looked at the other girl, my hand still out. What did unclaimed mean?

"Cairo, daughter of Ares." She glanced down at my hand but took in a firm handshake.

"Lovely to meet both of you," I said and I truly meant it, "So what is this capture the flag game and what does being unclaimed mean?"

"Well, capture the flag is a game where two teams hide flags and the other team tries to capture it and return to their side. Unclaim means-" Said Atlanta.

"Unclaimed means," Interrupted Beth, "That your godly parent, do you even know what a godly parent is-

"Yeah, it's your parent that's mortal." I said, "Sorry, it's your parent that's immortal or to be more specific a god."

"Yeah, sure. Unclaimed is when your godly parent has yet to claim you." Finished Beth.

"Unclaimed demigods stay in my cabin, Hermes, till theyre claim then they move into their parents." Added Jayden.

"So, why are you guys here?" Asked Atlanta.

"Jayden wanted to show Beth, Aiden's bow." Snorted Cassy.

"Why would I care about his bow?" Asked Beth.

I opened my mouth to speak before Beth sent me a glare. It clearly said, _you have yet to prove yourself, so don't even bother to answer my questions._ I was used to that look the hunters would give me it all the time.

"Because it's Odysseus's' bow." Said Jayden with an excited gleam in his eye. Beth looked him over to see if he was pulling her leg. "Let me see."

I pressed the little moon charm and the bow sprung to life.

Cairo gasped and walked towards me wide eyed. "It's Odysseus's real bow." She looked up at me for permission before taking it out of my hands. "I can feel the power in it," She pulled the string back like she was about to shot, "Wow. How on earth did you get this?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, how? Added Beth with crossed arms.

"My mother gave it to me before I left." I fibbed.

"Was your mother mortal?" Asked Atlanta.

"Yes, a 100% mortal." Best that they don't know the truth, it could get messy for anyone that knew I was here. Since my mother made the deal with Hera.

"How is that possible?" Asked Cairo, "I mean people have been looking for this bow for years. Even my father could not find it?"

"Maybe it was a gift from his father." Said Cairo.

"Maybe." Said Beth. Cairo handed me back the bow which shifted into the little moon necklace it was before.

"We should finish the tour." Said Cassy.

"I think I'll stay here." Said Jayden. Beth shot him a disapproving glare but didn't protest.

Cassy led me out of the cabin to finish the tour. I must admit the camp was really cool with its sword fighting arena arts and crafts cabin and stable. But my favorite part was the woods, being so close to it relaxes me. After my tour a conch horn was blown, Cassy told me it signalled dinner. The dinner was great but not as good as the food on Olympus, during dinner I sat with the Hermes cabin, who I also will be staying at for the the time being. After dinner we left for the camp fire.

The campfire was a warm golden glow, much larger and hotter than a regular cooking fire. I sat next to Cassy on the wooden benches. The Apollos cabin danced around the fire playing the lyres singing a song about armor. Laughter echoed through the campers as they acted out each part and the sound of ruff voice of those who were less fortunate in the singing department. The warmth of the fire and sounds of laughter made me feel welcomed in a way that I never had before. The hunters used to have campfires every night. I watched them laugh, talk and roast food, like a group of sisters, from the background. They could never see me, it was always to dark, but I could see them. It always filled me with a sense of warmth that they were having such a good time. I didn't mind that I was the one that caught the food or the one that started the fire because it made them happy. But now that I was an actual part of the cheerful atmosphere was something entirely new.

As I threw my marshmallow into the flame as a sacrifice for my mother, Hera and Apollo, I felt a little nudge on my arm. I turned to look at Cassy. She was gorgeous. The fire made her skin glow like embers and her green eyes danced with the yellows of the flame. Her was the waves of the ocean during the sunrise. She had a little bit of marshmallow right above her lip from the s'more she was eating.

"So how about you tell me that story now." Her smile was so bright and so beautiful it made me struggle for words."

"Uhh, yeah sure." I mumbled, "Well, it started on a beautifully sunny day a couple years ago. My Uncle, on my mom's side of course, told me about this beast that was terrorizing this subdivision, so I decided to hunt it down. It was a huge beast. It eyes were so white it looked like you were staring at the end of the line. It's skin was a sickening acid green and it's teeth made you shiver. It was about 20 feet long with a tail that could squish you. It was the second time I faced this beast, the first was the time I was knocked out for two weeks. I knew it would be hard but I had to defeat it, I just had to. The fight started off fair enough. I was able to hit it in the eye with a arrow. It was not happy about that. I shoot another arrow, successfully blinding it. It growled, a low rumble that had the ground shaking. It launched itself at me. Claws drawn, teeth bared. It claws raked my stomach as I slashed at it with this very knife. It swiped at me with its claws again. the screeching sound, _screeech_ as metal hit metal. **Bam,** I hit the the scaly beast right in the face with my other knife. It sunk right through the skin, through solid bone into its brain. It felt like ripping jello into two. I remember the look on the beast face as it disappeared into dust. The white eyes had the menace of death on its, now, mutated mind and its teeth bared in one last snarl before it turned into dust and its ashes were scattered over the town it had been terrorizing."

"So, you defeated it pretty quick?" Cassy asked, her green eyes wide like a young doe's.

"That time, yes. But the other time, well let's just say it defeated me a lot quicker than I did to it."

"Did it leave anything behind?"

"Yes, a single tooth." The song finished in the background and the fire slowly died down.

"It's time to head back to your cabins. Lights out at 23 hundred anyone out after that time will be eaten by the harpies. Goodnight everyone." Said Chiron. On that happy note everyone left to get ready for the night.

The Hermes cabin was old fashioned and quite simple. Yet it had an undeniable comfortable feeling to it. Inside the cabin were rows of bunks and a couple sleeping bags on the ground.

"Hey, Aiden." Shouted Jayden, who hopped down from a top bunk like a cat, "Gabe brought your backpack," He threw it at me and I caught it with ease, "Don't worry, I made sure no one stole anything. But I would be carefull you have a lot of money in there."

"Thanks. Where do I put my sleeping bag?"

"Anywhere you want." He ushered to the open spots between the other sleeping bags. I settled down as close to the wall as I could get and there I fell asleep to the sounds of the monsters in the the woods.

 **I would like to thank** **lunarchroniclesandcockatiels for always giving me feedback and commenting.**


	5. Chapter 5

I woke to the sound of birds chirping. I was the first one awake. Outside was still the darken sky of night. I left the cabin and climbed to the top of it. There I sat on the roof facing east, waiting for Dawn's fingers to peak out from the horizon. I loved the moments before sunrise, the peaceful chirp of the birds, the light moon hanging above and the golden orange of the sky contrasting the dark blue of night.

"It's going to be a beautiful sunrise." Spoke a beautiful voice next to me, "I mean how could it not with such a handsome man behind it."

I chuckled, it's hard not to chuckle when he's in a good mood. It's been awhile since I heard him joke or rather brag. It was nice compared to his scorching days.

"You know in all the years that I've known you, I don't think you ever missed a sunrise." He chuckled at my seeming odd behaviour. I loved sunrises, I always have. Maybe it was because I could see my two favorite people in the sky, reminding me I had a job to do and a past to make up for. But I have missed some.

"I have." I defended, "I miss them whenever I get knocked out."

"In that case you miss a lot." He chuckled, the soft melody made the birds sing his tone, "Quit sulking, you haven't been knocked out that much for someone in your profession." I noticed that my posture had slumped and my smile disappeared. But once his words registered my smile returned and I sat up straight.

We sat in peaceful silence. The heat of his body warmed the chilly air. The sound of him whistling relaxed me just as much as the forest does. We were so close every silence, every laugh and every word had a meaning behind it.

"You know it amazes me that you can defeat all these monsters yet you can't sing." He said out of the blue. I felt his eyes on mine. I turned to face him. Every time I looked at him it took my breath away. I'm not sure if it was the way his golden hair curled or the mystery behind his gleaming blue eyes. Or maybe it was his dimples and bright smile that would shine even in the depth of Tartarus. It could be his hard cut jaw line and angular face. Or maybe it was his tall body that rippled with muscles. Or maybe it was just everything about him.

"I can sing." I knew, I couldn't.

"No, you can not." He chuckled. My heart fluttered a little and a chill ran down my back.

"Are you serious. I mean have you heard me sing before." I said this jokingly, I really could not sing and Apollo knew that.

"Go ahead then." He chuckled. His laugh would always have more musical talent then my singing voice, even with his blessing.

"Do, Re, Fa, Mi, So, Ti, La, Do." I sung, I thought I sounded okay but one look at Apollo's face told me otherwise. "Alright Mr. God of Music if you think you're so good then why don't you show me up?" I challenged. I knew full well that I would lose. But I would accept any loss just to hear him sing. He chuckled again, the one that made the birds sing and my heartbeat race.

"Doe" He started. Just that one simple note silenced the birds. A felt goosebumps form on my arm, even they didn't want a chance to miss him sing.

"a deer, a female deer" The specks of sun that raised over the horizon formed into a deer. It was so beautiful my mother would keep it alive. It galloped around us, dancing among the sky. It warmed the air. A personal fire that could keep life living.

"Ray, a drop of golden sun" The deer shifted into two little men lying side by side, basking in a ray of sunlight.

"Me, a name I call myself" One of the little men disappeared while the other one pointed to itself with a smile, like it had been proud to call himself me.

"Far, a long, long way to run" The little man started to run and run until he became the sun.

"Sew, a needle pulling thread" A little needle started to sew together rays of sunlight, making a warm blanket.

"La, a note to follow Sew" The light formed the word La as it soared around.

"Tea, a drink with jam and bread" The words caused a golden tea to comunes, filled with ladies in frilly dress with intricate lace.

"That will bring us back to Do (oh-oh-oh)" He sang, as the original doe returned bowing before galloping back to the rising sun. His voice made my spine tingle. I felt pure happiness, the sun seemed brighter, the trees looked greener and the dull ache in my shoulder was conquered by the song. His voice was thicker than honey, sweeter than candy and more addictive than drugs. It was magic.

I applauded slowly, a large grin accompanying my face. "I got to say, your the god of music for a reason."

"I know." He said. His cockiness would best him one day. "But I didn't come here to show off my amazing singing voice or have you half bloods bow down at my feet. I came here because we have to talk."

I felt my palms start to sweat. Apollo isnt here for just a regular old chit chat, his smile had disappeared, his brow furrowed and his eyes were slowly shifting to their dangerous gold. "About what?" I asked, trying hard to hide the nervousness in my voice. Any other mortal or god would not be able to tell what I was feeling but Apollo always could.

"Who will claim you." His voice was low and sad.

For a normal demigod this would be a simple question but for me the mere thought made it impossible to swallow. "If Lady Artemis claims me, would she get in trouble by Lord Zeus?" I feared the answer I already knew. I was born under specific circumstances set by Lady Hera, even though she helped raised me and now feels like a 2nd mother, they were still in tact. It was a simple agreement. Hera would impregnate my mother, is long as I was a demigod, which I'm not sure how she was able to do that, and if I stayed with the hunt never to be seen by anyone else. Not even another god.

It went well for the first five years but then I went to live with Apollo, he became my mentor and best friend. I stayed with him up on Olympus, most thought I was just a minor god that was helping out Apollo with his shores. But it didn't take long before Hera noticed who I was but instead of turning me into Zeus, she kept it a secret and helped raised me. She claimed that Apollo wasn't responsible enough to be looking out for another living being and eventually gave me her blessing after I recaptured Lamia. They taught me how to fight, how to shot and how to read and write. My life for the past 9 years has been a blur of fighting monsters and workouts that would bring the strongest of demigods to their knees. Until one day Hera said it was time for me to go to camp half blood, Apollo didn't want me to go but, Hera ordered me and I couldn't deny the Queen's wishes.

Apollo shook his head sadly, "I foresee my sister's pain if she claims you, I have told her this yet she is willing to claim you."

His grave voice shocked my ears. My mother was willing to claim me even if it meant she would get in trouble. It would mean I wouldn't have to live under the burden of lies, I could tell Cassy all my stories without worrying of slipping up. But then I thought of my mother. I couldn't let her suffer even if it was at the cost of my freedom.

"As am I." He added.

That idea was preposterous! Apollo was my best friend, not my uncle and most definitely not my father. But if it meant no one would be harmed, I would be willing to do it.

"Would people remember me as your servant boy?" I asked, I didn't want anyone to think he was breaking one of Zeus's rules.

"No, no one would remember." He said. The sadness in his voice haunted the air. He saw me as a failure too. A thing that would end up harming his little sister. I felt my heart crash, I couldn't breath. I had disappointed him.

"I can stay unclaimed. I'm fine with sleeping on the floor." My voice came out strong, firm even. I have had a lot of practice with hiding my emotions.

"No! I shall claim you." He said, I could almost hear a hint of anger in his voice. "I will claim you this morning at breakfast. Goodbye Aiden." He flashed away just as the sun peaked over the endless sea, leaving me alone with a goodbye still hanging on my tongue.

 **I know it's kind of short but hey, the story breaks up where it wants to be broken. I also have a question for you guys and gals, what would Hera's blessing do and improve? I also want to thank you all for reading, seriously thank you so much you don't know how much it means to me everytime I see that follower and favorite counter go up. Though I would enjoy a little more feedback, so review if you can/ have anything to say. (That was a kind of passive aggressive** ㈴8 **)**


	6. Chapter 6

I climbed somberly down from the roof, before the sun had fully risen. The door of the cabin barged open, I came face to face with a worried Jayden. His hazel eyes wide as he took me in.

"There you are." He spoke, "I was afraid that you would be in the middle of the lake."

"The middle of the lake?" That was an unusual first thought when you see someone in the morning.

"Yeah, some of the pranks can get a little outrageous," He rubbed the back of his neck, "And it wouldn't be the first time a camper woke up in the middle of the lake. Of course they would be copying my prank but… yeah. So where did you go?" He finished anxiously, like if he had dwelled on the topic he would get caught.

"I just went to watch the sunrise. Any reason you're up so early?" I question, he already was dressed in his orange camp half blood shirt and had a sword strapped to the belt of his shorts.

"Yeah, I was going to take you to the sword arena and see if you have any skill. Not that you have a chance to beat me." He said cockily.

"Please, you should be terrified. I'm sword fighting champ." I mocked.

"Uhh ha," He reached down and ruffled my hair, which was easy for him to do since he towered over me. "Go get ready, I'll meet you in the arena in 5. Bring your knives and I'll supply you with a sword and shield if you want one." He said before he took off towards the arena at a sprint that blurred air.

I walked into the cabin, knowing that this was my first and last time sleeping here. Everyone was still deep asleep as I got changed into my camp half blood shirt, a pair of hunting pants and a pair of combat boots. I grabbed my two knives and sprinted out the door to the arena.

The arena, was like a miniature colosseum gone greek. It had training dummys pushed against the walls with other objects you could hack your sword through.

"Took you long enough." Shouted Jayden, he was lounging on the other side of the arena like he had all the time in the world, but the way his muscles tensed you could tell that he was used to being on the run, with a new danger lurking behind every corner. "Do you want to fight with knives or a sword or perhaps two swords?" He ushered towards a pile of wooden weapons. I looked at him questionly, did they not use real weapons?

"We'll practice with wooden first then once I see your skill, we might move to real." He clarified.

I glanced down at the weapons, none really stuck out at me. There were a couple broad swords, curved swords and many others. I picked them up feeling them in my hands before coming upon a light carved sword which felt decent in my grip. Jayden watched me carefully as I took a couple practice swings before I grabbed a spear. It's been awhile since I had any formal training in spear fighting, so why not give it a try?

"Can I use a spear?" I asked

"If you know how to use it, sure." He said as he picked up a simple long sword.

"Armor?" He questioned.

"Sure." He tossed me some, which looked about to be my size.

He got dressed quickly into the standard practice armor before we went to the center of the arena, "The first one to surrender or gets caught in a fatal blow is the loser, got that?" He asked. I nodded my head. We started to circle each other, analyzing one another, looking for an opening.

I thrusted my spear forward. The air whipped and my vision focused. I could see and hear everything. The little pebble that laid three feet to the left. The chickadee that was chirping out in the woods. The gleam in Jayden's eyes. The shallow sound of his breath. The glint of the metals and the necklace he wore around his neck. Jayden returned my attack with one of his own. The fight seemed to blur. My hands went through the motions Apollo had drilled into my head. I heard his voice yelling at me to do it over and over again till I got It right.

Jayden was skilled. He parried my attacks and added a few of his own, but it was never a close fight. With one finally huff, I thrusted my spear forward. The point lunged and danced till it found its way to the chink in his armor with the force of a rocket.

He stumbled backwards and looked down at the spear that would have taken off his arm. He then glanced up at me. His eyes were filled with a new light like he had just seen me for the first time, His hair was matted with sweat and his breath was short.

"How are you not even out of breath?" He asked.

I shrugged, the trainings Hera and Apollo made me do would make an entire summer at camp half blood look like child's play.

"Again?" He got down into a fighting stance. I nodded my head and got into my own. The fight only lasted 2 strikes.

He looked down at me in disbelief, "Where did you learn how to fight?"

"My Uncle taught me, he was a demigod himself." I lied.

"He would have to be an amazing spear fighter." He said in awe, "Do you know any other weapons."

"Yeah, I know most." Hera had wanted me to be the perfect Renaissance man in every way, even in weapons. He gave me a look before he tossed me another wooden sword. It was a large, two handed sword. It was great in length.

He struck before the sword even reached my hands. I parried. I put all my weight into a swing. I stopped halfway through and changed to a stab, right to his chest. The impact had him sprawling backwards.

He got up and tossed me a new weapon. This is how the morning continued until Cario walked in mid fight.

"I see you got the new guy to practice with you, are you tired finally tired of being the second best fighter at camp. Well you're not going to get any better fighting this twig." She sneered as I struck Jayden 'dead'. I swirled quickly on my heel and came face to face with her, my sword at her neck. Sweat dropped into my eye as I glared into her intense red brown eyes.

"Care to dance?" I challenged with one eyebrow cocked up. Once I upon a time, I wouldnt challenge anyone to a fight, I found them to violate, to chaotic. Of course, I also used to be a vegetarian but things change and people get hungry. She sneered, before grabbing her sword. "You choose the weapons." She thought a second before a wicked grin formed on her face, one that would make her enemies shiver in fright.

"You can use your famous bow, well I use my simple sword." I smiled as I pressed the little moon charm, "But you must string the bow yourself, you have till I get my armor on."

I summoned my bow, this time unstrung. I easily eased the string over the other side of the bow, successfully stringing the bow. I had a quiver on my back, which was charmed like my bow, it was filled with blunt arrows.

The fight was intense but within a couple minutes, Cairo looked like a porcupine. She was foaming at the mouth.

"Where did you learn how to fight?!" She demanded.

I sighed, I was going have to explain this a lot, "My Uncle was a demigod, he taught me how to fight."

"He must of been one hell of a demigod." She whistled, as the conch horn sounded signalling breakfast.

"Let's go eat!" Shouted Jayden. He jumped down from the ledge he was sitting on and rushed out of the arena, not even bothering to take off his armor. Me and Cairo shared a glance before we undid are armor and left the arena at a much slower pace then Jayden.

By the time we got to the dining hall half the campers were already eating, well the others were trying not to fall asleep. I sat down at the Herme's table next to Jayden. He smiled, showing me his breakfast. It took all my will not to gag at the sight. A plate filled with eggs and fruit appeared in front of me. I glanced around the dining pavilion at the different tables. My eyes stopped at a table filled with a group of beautiful campers, at first I thought it was Aphrodite's but most had the same blonde hair that gave away as Apollo's cabin.

I looked at them more closely, they all had the Apollo's blues and blonde hair. I had no clue how I would fit in with them with my black hair. I mentally thanked Apollo for switching my fake brown eyes to his sparkling blue. The campers were all talking animatedly and had a slight shine to them. They were the only table unaffected with the early morning.

I got up from the table to give my portion to the gods. Once I was at the blazier the warmth of the fire flushed against my face. I took a sniff, it smelt like fresh cut grass, flowers and freshly baked bread. Bright blinding light flashed above my head as I gave thanks to Hera, Apollo and Artemis, of course Apollo being Apollo also had to add an explosion of confetti and the soundtrack of We Are the Champions. I fliched, leave it up to Apollo to find the most embarrassing, showy way to claim his kids. I'm surprised he doesn't just paint them gold and put a sign above their head saying, kid of the awesomest god alive. I felt a piece of paper crinkle in my hand. I quickly shoved it into my pocket hoping no one would notice.

I sighed before I turned to face the campers. The Aphrodite's cabin who was closest to the fire was covered in confetti. They all were glaring at me, their perfect hair covered with the colorful bits of paper. I smiled apologetically at them before looking to Chiron. He glanced at me his eyes were their warm brown but there was confusion in his face. He kneeled down, before he spoke, "Hail Aiden, son of Apollo, god of music, archery, light, disease, healing, sun, truth, reason and prophecy." By the time he was finished he was out of breath.

I shifted my weight awkwardly, not sure if I should rejoin the Hermes table or head the Apollo's table. Chiron most of picked up on my unease, "You can take a seat at the Apollos table." He said as he ushered toward the table I was staring at earlier.

I walked between the tables to the other side of the pavilion, every camper's eyes still on me. I kept my head high and shoulders back as I took a seat next to my best friends kids. They all greeted me happily. A girl, Ava, I think, told me about how when Apollo claimed her she glowed for two days, which lit up the cabin so much no one could sleep.

After breakfast I grabbed my stuff from the Hermes cabin and moved into the Apollo's cabin. It was an impossibly bright and glowed harshly whenever the sun hit it. If I hadn't been used to staring at the god himself, I'm pretty sure I would of been blinded.

When you first walk into the cabin there was a sitting room decorated with bright yellow and other sun related stuff. In the back of the room was a recording studio. There were various instruments scattered across the floor and two doors, one and the left and the other on the right.

"The door on the left leads to where the girls sleep while the door on the right is where the boys sleep." Said Gabe, as he lead me through the golden door on the right.

"Wow. everything is so yellow." I expressed, I knew it would be very yellow but it seemed like that would be something a clueless person would say right then.

"Yeah." Was all that he said, "The bed down at the end is empty. I also brought your armor from the infirmly. I was going to give it to you earlier but you weren't in the Hermes cabin." He said as he gave me my armor.

I put it down on my bed looking over the damage. But it was all wrong. My armor wasn't a bright gold color, it was a simple leather. But then why was this one gold? I looked closer. It was a molten gold, that shifted and moved like a constant river. The divots formed the muscles of a man in the stomach and chest. The metal danced with different images of the past. It formed the shape of a snake, slithering its way across the plate. It was a strong metal and wasn't even dented the slightest where I got hit. It was beautiful but not mine.

I was about to tell Gabe but the metal shifted and formed right where the back piece met the front piece on the shoulders, till it read, _Time will reveal al_ l. It was a gift. I said a mental prayer to the stranger before turning to Gabe, "Thank you."

"No problem. We have archery in a couple minutes." He said.

"I'll head down in a second I want to finish unpacking." I smiled as I unzipped my backpack. He left leaving me alone. I jumped face first into the bed, enjoying the solitary of being alone. I shifted in the bed till I was staring at the ceiling, There were the little stars and moons that glowed in the dark. I wondered if one of the younger campers was afraid of the dark? The sunlights above made the room feel like I was outside bathing in the sunlight.

I could almost feel the green grass tickling my bare legs and the soft hum of Apollo's voice. The warmth of the sun flooding through my body. It felt so real I expected to feel Apollos soft skin as he laid next to me, staring up at the clouds. I would miss these days. I wonder if I would ever see Apollo again. The idea was so crushing I immediately dismissed it. The feeling was so strong I felt he was almost in the room with me. I brought out the piece of paper, that appeared in my hand. In his neat and artistic handwriting was one of his horrible hakius,

 _It must really suck_

 _Being at camp without me_

 _Because I am hot_

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Hottest God._

A laughter bubbled in my throat as I put the poem on the bedside table before I unpacked my things. Once I was done unpacking, I grabbed the paper. I stared at it for a moment with a stupid smile on face till I remembered every word. I put it in my pocket as I left for the archery range.

By the time I arrived the rest of my cabin had already began to shooting. There skill was only rivalled by the hunters and the twins themselves. I went next to Gabe and summoned my own bow. A few of my 'siblings' looked at me curiously as I pulled the bow back and took aim. The arrow thudded, against the bullseye which tilted back and forth threatening to topple. My breath came out short from the effort as I launched another arrow at the same speed, completely forgetting about the others.

By the time we finished, my arms ached and my face was caked in sweat. My 'siblings' asked me where I learned how to shoot like that. I once again found myself lying as I told them of my past. They welcomed me with open arms as we made our way to the sword fighting arena. Most of the Apollo's cabin wasn't good with a sword but I sparred with the Ares cabin who were also there. After sword fighting we went to a monster fighting class, where we learned about all the different monsters of the greek and roman world.

I was heading to the pegasus stable when I ran into Cassy, well not literally.

"Hey Aiden. How's it going with the Apollo's cabin?" She asked with a beautiful smile. Ugh why does she have to be so damn beautiful. "Good." I squeaked, "Uhmm I mean it's really crowded and they're all so energetic."

She laughed, it was such a beautiful sound. "Yeah. Apollo gets around but don't worry apparently once the sunsets they're out like logs."

"Yeah." was all I could say as I stared into her beautiful evergreen eyes, "So where you heading?"

"The stables." She answered.

"Me too!" I said a little too excited.

"I love the stables, almost as much as I love flying." She said with a dreamy look on her face as she entered the barn. There were multiple stalls filled with pegasuses and a couple normal horses.

I thought that over for a second, isn't a little strange that a daughter of Demeter loves to fly so much? I mean Demeter is all about the earth and plants and not the sky.

"This is Strawberry," She said as she stroked the horse's nose. She was a large mare with a proud neck and a strawberry coat. I could tell that she was a prideful mare and thought very highly of herself and Cassy.

"She's gorgeous." I stroked her soft nuzzle as she bumped my hand asking for more.

"Thank you. You can ride Spartan." She said as she pointed to a elegant palomino. He looked unruly and wild.

"Come on let's go." She slipped a bridle on Strawberry, while I slipped one on Spartan. He throw his head in the air, but after a little coaxing and maybe some peppermints I was able to get it on. To say Cassy looked impressed would be an understatement, her eyes were wide and mouth a gape. Once she noticed I was looking she hid it quickly. She skillfully mounted her horse. I glanced over at Gabe and the rest of the cabin.

"Hey Gabe, I'm going to take Aiden for a trail ride."

"On Spartan?" He question, he looked ready to grab the first aid kit.

"Yeah, he said he was a really good rider and I wanted to test it." Her words passed over my head as I stared at her. She looked like a queen. Her blue hair flowed in the wind, her posture was regal and her green eyes glowed with a certain power.

"You ready Aiden?" She asked as she took off at a walk.

"What? Yeah, I'm ready." I spurred Spartan forward. He bucked slightly and pawed at the ground angrily. I leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "If you behave I'll give you a sugar cube. He pawed angry at the ground again. "Fine I'll give you three sugar cubes." He nickered happily before taking off to join Strawberry.

Once I caught up to her, she willed her horse to fly. Air brushed my face. My mouth released its tension as we hit the sky. The trees swayed far below from the gentle breeze. I felt free, nothing could hold me back. Not the past, not the future it was just the present and I was in charge of it.

Cassy's soft chuckle floated around, warming the air more than the sun. She looked beautiful. The sun made her glow, and her smile was of pure happiness. I felt my heart flutter as a cloud passed over the sun. The cloud made the sky dark, the air cold. I glanced at Cassy her blue hair turned dark blue her eye glowed with a sinister look. She was a temptest. it changes her looks from one of an angel to one of a tempest but once the cloud past I swore she was an actual angel.

"Follow me." She said. She swooped down till her horse was running on the green canopy. She was going outside of camp.

"Cassy shouldn't we stay in camp boundaries?"

She sighed, it was filled with disappointment. I immediately felt awful. "You know what we can handle ourselves." Her smile returned as she blurred. I followed quickly, a little nervous, I didn't want her to get hurt on accident. We flew among the white clouds, breaking the bounds of nature, the sun danced overhead as it taunted us to go higher and join it among the stars.

"Come on my favorite spot is just done here." She said as she raced down to the forest below. I willed Spartan to go faster till the wind squgred me and the light air turned intense with a sense of competition. I quickly surpassed Cassy as the hooves pounded onto the soft forest floor.

The forest opened up to a field of waist high grass filled with the aroma of flowers. She skipped her way through the flowers only the the ends of her hair showing through the tall grass. The tall grass opened up to a lazy river flowing slowly through the field. There was a deer drinking from the icy cool water. It glanced up at me and bowed slightly before dipping its majestic head into the water.

There was a single olive tree, it branches arched over the stream. The water trickled with a soft melody. A trail of deer prints was worn into the muddy ground. Cassy sat among the tangle of roots. Her feet in the cold water, her head titled back. Her face glowed even in the darkness of the shade, her smile was bright that it made her glow in the shadow the tree.

"I love it here. Its also so peaceful. The sound of trickling water, the hum of the bees, the warmth of the sun and the coldness of the water. It's absolutely beautiful. If I wasn't at risk of being attacked by monsters I would build a house right here. But the beauty isn't even the best part about. The stream hides many things. There's a knife in there, it's so beautiful but I'm not strong enough to get it out." Her voice was so sad, so lost. She must really want that knife.

"I'll try and get it." I offered, I would do anything if it meant making someone happy.

"Really?" She smiled as she touched my hand and smiled at me. My heart raced as she kept hold of my hand and showed me the hidden treasure. With a hefty pull the knife came free.

It was a hunter's knife. I looked down, sadness washed over me. I felt my blood run cold. My body seemed to freeze, the warmth of the air was sucked out in one icy breath. It was her knife. She's dead. I felt a tear slip from my eye as Cassy placed a gentle kiss on me cheek. I felt nothing as I stared at the icy river as it washed over the stones. It was relentless, it never gave up. It didn't feel the pain, the misery of the death that took place on its very banks.

I emerged my hand in the icy water, till it stroke the slimy bottom. Another tear fell as I came upon a sharp point. Streams of red joined the clear water as I pulled out a silver arrow. I had sharpened many arrows like this. She cant of died, she must've just got a new knife and they must've just camped out upstream a little, yes that's it! But deep inside my brain the voice of reasoning was screaming, the hunters knives reappear when they need them.

"We should get going Aiden." Her happy voice came through my head waking me up from stupar. We mounted our steeds. On the way back to camp she told me about her life, but I was lost in my own thoughts.


	7. Chapter 7

*This is still in rough draft form, it is readable but grammar mistakes and plot holes may appear.*

Trees dashed around me. I willed my legs to go faster. My feet pounded silently on the muddy ground. I lept over tree roots like I was born to be in the wild. My blood tingled as pushed my legs harder. I took a deep breath of the crisp fall air, it soothed my burning lungs. I was going fast. But not fast enough. I urged my legs faster till my eyes blurred with tears and my heart sounded slow.

A loud whoop sounded through the woods, it scared birds out of their nest. I turned to face Jayden. He had fallen a couple steps behind.

"You're going to give us away." I said, my lungs burned from the intense speed.

"Relax. We can take anyone who even thinks about fighting us. And besides your armor well give our position away more than my voice. It's more gold than my father in that old Odyssey movie."

I rolled my eyes and willed my legs to go even faster till Jayden was left in the dust. I stopped once I reached the river bank. By the river laid a red pup, it scotted its way across the dirt to the river. I approached it slowly, I didn't make a single noise. Once it felt my presence it looked up at me with its brown puppy dog eyes.

"You're far from home, little pup." I lifted him up gentle. His red hair was coarse, and his right leg was broken. He yipped and scooted closer to me. "It's alright little pup. I'll bring you back to your mother."

"You know sometimes I forget just how fast you can run." Said Jayden. His breath was heavy and short. He leaned against a tree, trying to make his I'm about to puke face as cool as he could. "What do you have there?" He asked as he raised his head to look at the little pup.

"An ethiopian wolf. I'm going to go find it's mother you go carry on with the mission." I touched the ground looking for any prints that would give any leads.

"Yeah, whatever Hunter Cuddly." He said before he sprinted off to the woods.

I followed a pair of prints till I came upon a cave, an abyss in the light. I approached carefully. I made my silvery glow brighter, till I was the moon in the dark. The scene that laid in front of me made my gut twist.

Red spattered the walls. Guts spilled out of the red wolf. Her dead eyes were white with the pain of her last moments. Next to their dead mother laid 5 dead pups. There stomachs were slashed, red oozed out, still fresh. One whimpered gentle and looked up at me. Its brown eyes were full of misery, of pain and suffering. It pulled a heartstring of mine. I couldn't do anything. I was useless. The puppy let out one last cry as the last breath of life left it's body. If only I was quicker, than I could save them all. It was there in that cave that I made a promise to myself that I will never be too slow again. That I would practice everyday till my speed rivaled the gods. It was an impossible feat but I would hold it close for the rest of my life.

Outside was too bright, too cheerful. It felt like the sun never felt pain or mercy for those who had been killed. In some ways it was true, the sun didn't care, it was the way of the Earth. But I also know that it does care, the sun's brightness hides the core, it hides his feelings. I shook myself of my thoughts, I had a team that was relying on me. I took off at a sprint, with the little pup still in my hand.

The trees dashed by me. The cold autumn air filled my burning lungs. But my blood felt cold and my limbs moved sluggishly like someone had attached weights to my legs. The original excitement of the game had been washed away. Now only the thought of my team kept me going.

I ran till I heard the chirp of a bird, too high to be real. I slowed my pace and pulled out my knife. I heard the bird's chirp again about 30 feet straight ahead. Next to me was a large olive tree. It's ancient roots gnawed at the ground, the branches spiraled to the heavens. I glanced up, a branch hung a few feet above from me. I jumped the rough bark scratching my hand. I made it to the top and hopped to the next and then the next, till I was 30 feet away from the tall olive tree.

Below me was the red team's prison. There were three guards from the Are's cabin, two had arrived yesterday, they were easy prey. In the prison was Jayden and Cassy. Cassy face was red with anger yet she still managed to look beautiful. Well, Jayden looked down with a guilty expression on his face. He held a broken piece of mirror in his hand. I stared in the little pups brown eye's, a smile on my face, at least one had survived.

I lept down from the branch, the air rushed around me. It whipped my face and the little puppy howled, a challenge to the ground and wind. I twisted in air, like a cat, and knocked my blade against one of the Are's camper. He was out like a light. I took out the next, the element of surprise aided me. One remained.

He was burly. He glared at me with his grey eyes, they were filled with pride, yet I could sense a fear coming off of him. I had long since taken the title of best fighter in camp. He lunged forward, it was a disparate lung. I used his momentive as he went sprawling on the ground. I stood above him. I looked down at his cowardly form. I raised my knife to knock him out. With the cling of metal on metal, he fell to the ground.

What have I become? I asked myself as I stared down at the unconscious man.

"Thanks for saving me Aid." Jayden said.

"And me too." Said Cassy as he trailed her fingers across my cheek and to my jaw. She lifted my head gently till I could see her forest green eyes. They reminded me of all the good things in my life. She gave me a peck on my lips. I felt warmth flow throughout my body. It warmed my bones and made me forget about my worries.

Jayden cleared his throat, breaking us apart. "May I remind you two that we have a flag to capture." He said.

"Of course." Said Cassy, her green eyes had a twinkle that would make the stars jealous. She took off.

"So how did you get captured? You're the second fastest guy in camp." I asked curiously, as I moved the pup closer to my chest plate. It's brown eyes stared widely at the golden color in amazement.

"Well, I may have gotten a little distracted." He said nervously. If we hadn't been running he would of been scratching the back of his neck.

"By what?" I questioned.

"By a broken piece of mirror." I let a chuckle out and stared at him with one eyebrow up. "It was shinny." He offered weakly

I laughed a good hearted laugh as he joined in with me, "Jayden you're such a crow."

We hid behind a tree as we stared out at the red flag. It's bright color stood out among the tall rocks it was atop. The place before us was a maze of wind blown rocks that stood above the wild sea. It was on the very edge of camp and very few people ever dared to go there because of how dangerous it was. But it made the flag easy to defend.

"Who are we going to get up there?" Asked Cassy.

"Easy. We climb a tree and jump onto the nearest rock." Said Jayden with a proud grin.

"It won't work, the nearest rock is 30 feet away." I added as I glanced back at Jayden.

He thought for a second before he looked up, "Do you happen to have a hydra arrow?" He asked as he looked at me. I nodded my head.

"Perfect! You can shot a hydra arrow and we can sail over there and grab the flag." He said with a bright smile. We climbed the tree quickly. The little puppy in my hand whimpered softly, he was getting hungry. Halfway up I glanced at the sky, the sun had set and we only had the light of the moon to illuminate the tree. It casted a beautiful silvery glow over the ocean as the tides were pulled by it's beauty. But it was late, 200 already. We didn't have long till the other team found our flag.

"Ready Aiden?" Jayden asked. We were level with the rocks, if we went any higher we would risk being seen.

"Of course Crow," I said as I handed Cassy the pup. He growled in protest and tried to bit her. But after a glare from me he stopped and settled with growling. I summoned my bow. It felt natural in my hands. I pulled out an arrow with a heavy tip and launched it to the nearest rock before I tied the other end to the tree. We zipped through the air until we landed on the first rock. Each rock ranged from 10 to 12 feet off the ground and had an area of 2.25π, believe me I measured.

The waves crashed. Their harsh white tops glowed and growled. The peaceful droplets hung in the air as the chased the light of the moon. It was another reality, one where everything was made of silver and blue. One that I was the king. Power rippled through my veins. I could see for miles. A crab scurried across the sand. The little red pup yawned. I heard angry blast of feet.

I could see the sweat on Atlanta's brow. The bandage of Cairo's arm. I heard Jayden's breath beat the drums of battle. My arms tingled. My legs tensed, but my mind filled with dread.

"Grab the flag. I'll hold these two off." I said.

Arrows streaked across the sky. Their silvery path glowed in the air, one of destruction. Cairo stumbled back. Atlanta flipped. I could see Cairo's eyes, bright red of the people I have injured. I felt the air vibrate. The blood rushed to my head and stared the angry beast right in the eye. I landed on the domain of Gaia.

Electricity streamed through the air. I could taste the blood of the angry animal below. It roared and thundered. It dared anyone to jump and meet their watery grave. The salty mist blocked me from Jayden but I saw the red flag dance, happy to be free. I launched a mighty arrow at Atlanta. Cairo swung her sword. I dodged. I launched an arrow. She fell into the water. The wind whipped my hair. I felt weightless. I grabbed her arm as we fall like weights. The water prickled at my legs. I felt my mind clog and senses blurred. My arms worked on instincts. I climbed the rocks with the unconscious Cairo.

I dropped her on the rock. I could see Atlanta's black hair raging in the wind. She flew above the rocks, in hot pursuit of Crow.

I land on the sandy beach. The sand held a bit of warmth from the sun, but it slowly faded as the moon raised. Cassy stood on the shore, the waves broke at her feet. Her long brown hair swirled in the moonlight. Her dark skin was pure silver, her eyes were shut as she listened and waited. The red pup struggled in her arm.

"Thanks for holding him." I said as pressed my lips against her soft cheek. I could feel the heat from her blush, the tickle of the little hairs on my lips. I could smell rose and heard the waves crashing. My heart swelled, I felt like I was in Aphrodite's dreams. But all good things must come to an end. "Come on let's go. We have to make sure that Crow isn't distracted." I said. I grabbed her hand. It felt so soft in my calloused one. Her nails raked my skin gently. She held tighter as we took off, afraid to be lost in the dark woods.

We headed to the river, the cheers of our teammates light the way. We crossed rushed out towards the river where Jayden was held up by the rest of his cabin. There smiles were ear to ear. You could feel the excitement of victory. The Apollo's cabin, drummed on their shields, the sound of a war cry fly through the air. It joined in the shouts of victory, and the howling of the little red pup.

Chiron lifted his hand, a simple demand for silence. The loud shouts quieted till you could hear a branch snap. "Congratulations blue team." He started. There was a large snap of a branch. I my muscles tensed, what ever it was is not whole camp held it's breath as a girl about the age of thirteen stepped out of the woods. She had born eyes and brown hair, she was tall and very pretty. She had an exotic look and she looked right at me.

"Step forward and accept your quest." She said, her tone raspy like a snakes. Her eyes turned from brown to a poisonous green. Everyone parted like the red sea till I could see her unnaturally green eyes perfectly. I took a hesitant step forward. I could feel every eye on me. I closed my hand into a fist to hide the trembling. I stood directly in front of her. I could smell fresh dirt and I started into her deep green eyes. They sent shivers down my back, every instinct in me told me to run, but I held my ground.

"What is my quest?" I asked, my voice came out strong. It hide the fact that I was scared shitless. Green smoke poured from her mouth. It smelt musty, like an old attic. It shifted into a large wolf, with the same acid eyes of the girl.

You shall go south, into the storm,

In the end you will face the god thats reformed,

The eclipse, thief, land and sky must complete the quest

The truth will manifest,

But beware, one shall betray, one will be lost.

The smoke resided leaving only the shocked faces of the campers. The oracle fell backwards. I rushed forward. She pounded against my arms.

"A quest has been issued, there will be a concluer meeting tomorrow after breakfast, but for now let's enjoy our campfire." Said Chiron. Everyone slowly faded into the darkness but I stayed. My bones felt heavy. I stared out into the sky, the stars were clear. I could make out every constellation. My favorite was the huntress, with her bow of stars forever protecting the sky. I remember the hunters telling the story of the brave hunteress and how she nobly sacrificed herself.

"That's Zoe. She was a hunter of Artemis." Chiron's words were sad like he had seen many come and go, each as tragic as the last. "She was the daughter of a titan, but was one of the bravest and loyal, people I have ever known. She died protecting Artemis. If it wasn't for her," He shooked his head, "I don't think any of us would be here today."

"She sounds amazing." I said in awe. I had always looked up to Zoe, if I were a girl I would've been named after her, but fate didn't work out that way. I wish I would've been able to meet her. All the hunters that knew her talked about her in such high praise. Especially Laelia, my stomach drop. The trees seemed to spin, she could be gone, my poor mother. She was one of the most loyal and oldest hunters. No! She can't be dead.

"She was," He answered, "That's quite a cute wolf. Ethiopian, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah," I said as I looked into its droopy brown eyes.

"What are you going to name it?"

I thought for a second, "Lefty."

He stared down at the pup, with a smile in his eyes, "We should join the bonfire."

"I think I'm going to head straight to bed." I said as i stared off into the dark woods. I couldn't sleep on the best of nights, but with this quest looming over my head, I doubt I could sleep at all.

"Well goodnight, see you in the morning." He said, he galloped out of the woods. I was alone, besides for the little red pup, the owls hooted around me. Anyone else would find the dancing shadows, howls of monsters and the dark of night creepy, but it made me feel relaxed and at home. I could see the flames of the fire, as I headed into the darkness of the woods.

I sensed the monsters that dashed through the woods. I could feel their need to kill, to taste the red drug of demigods, the killable gods. A shiver rattled my spine. I clenched my knife, prepared for anything. The air swirled with danger. A golden arrow thudded against the large tree. The arrow was pure gold and had a sunny glow around it.

My body turned weightless. My brain sung the sound of the heavens and my smile was goofy and endless. Behind me I heard the laughter of god, the one thing that can always bring me joy. "You could of killed me." I said.

Before me was the god of manly beauty himself. He leaned against the tree, his golden hair woven from the the rays of sun that shine upon the happiest of moments, from your first football game to the picnic with you family. His eyes were a bright blue, that the sky would be jealous of. He was smiling, his teeth were a pearly white.

He scuffed, "Please, if I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead."

I closed the space between us with record speed. I buried my head into his chest. His body was warm. My muscles relaxed. I wrapped my arms around his muscular abdomen. He put his arms around me and put his head on my shoulder. I felt safe, like nothing in the world could harm me. "I missed you."


End file.
